Columbina awoke. She found herself lying on a soft bed, an unfamiliar ceiling overhead—unadorned, just a flat, grayish-white surface.
A sense of trance seized her in an instant. Everything that had happened before—the rainforest, the betrayal, the sword piercing Coppelia, the loss of her power... was it all just an overly vivid nightmare?
She pushed against the mattress with both hands, sat up, and looked around the room. It was large, with a heavy iron door embedded in the far wall and no windows. Furniture was sparse; aside from the bed, only a set of table and chairs sat in the center. On the table lay several plates filled with food.
She lowered her head, feeling a very real hollowness in her stomach. Throwing off the covers, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The downward movement naturally drew her gaze to her left wrist. The bracelet Kelvin had given her was still there, its surface flowing with a dim blue fluorescence.
It wasn't a dream?!
It felt as though an ice pick had been driven into Columbina's heart. She immediately sank her consciousness deep into her body to check her power core. That tyrannical foreign power was still there, entrenched, resembling a mass of black and crimson fire wrapping around her core.
She attempted to mobilize her Lunar Force to teleport. But the moment the Authority of Space was activated, it would be "burned away" by that black-crimson fire. Panic set in. She tried again, twice, three times. The result remained unchanged. That foreign power wasn't merely "disrupting" or "suppressing" her Authority of Space; it had caused it to completely "die"!
She stopped trying to teleport and mobilized the Lunar Force alone. A thin wisp of power responded, circulating faintly within her body. But this amount was insufficient to form even the most basic defense, let alone attack.
Terror crept up her spine. She stared blankly at the ring of blue light on her wrist. That blue light now looked so cold, so ugly. Kelvin's smiling face, wearing that monocle, floated before her eyes. A scorching rage surged abruptly, burning until her fingertips went numb.
Fake! It was all a disguise! All lies!
She grabbed the bracelet with her right hand, tore it forcefully from her wrist, and hurled it with all her might at the nearest wall. With a crisp clang, the bracelet struck the hard surface, bounced back, and rolled with a clatter into the shadows of the room's corner, disappearing from sight.
After the outburst, the feelings of emptiness and powerlessness washed over her even more violently. Columbina thought of Coppelia again. When she was pierced by the sharp sword and fell forward, a spark of electricity had flashed at her fingertips. She definitely wanted to use an elemental reaction then, but couldn't bring it out. The position of that sword... her energy core must have been destroyed! How would those people treat her? Would they dismantle her?
Fear strangled her breathing. She seemed to see the complex gazes the scholars at the camp had cast upon her that day. She seemed to see Coppelia looking at her with those same eyes...
Columbina shook her head desperately, flinging away the terrible thoughts. The next moment, another thought pushed its way in: Coppelia had a mechanical body; she wouldn't die that easily. She needed Lunar Force to function properly. I need to send her some Lunar Force. But there must be guards outside, and I have no power myself. How can I get the Lunar Force out?
Moon Spirits! I can ask a Moon Spirit for help!
At this thought, Columbina immediately sat up straight on the edge of the bed. She focused her dwindling spirit, mobilized that pitiful speck of Lunar Force, and struggled to communicate with the information flowing within the Ley Lines. It took a long while before a faint flash passed through the air, and a Moon Spirit was created, hovering before her.
Columbina felt a wave of collapse wash over her, panting slightly as she sat on the bed. The Lunar Force stored within a single Moon Spirit might not be enough for Coppelia. Gritting her teeth and ignoring her exhaustion, she spent several more minutes squeezing out the remaining power from her body bit by bit, injecting it into the Moon Spirit.
After doing all this, she practically slumped over. She hugged the warm, cool Moon Spirit and whispered the current situation and Coppelia's condition to it quickly and in a low voice. She told the Moon Spirit to find Coppelia and transfer the Lunar Force to her. She knew the Moon Spirit could understand. Moon Spirits were very smart.
The Moon Spirit bounced up and down a few times, then floated toward the top of the room. It found a narrow ventilation gap in the corner of the ceiling and immediately squeezed its round head inside. The gap wasn't wide, but the Moon Spirit's body was soft; twisting its body and two long braids, it inched forward bit by bit until it squeezed entirely inside, vanishing into the dark duct.
Having sent the Moon Spirit away, Columbina's gaze fell back to the table and chairs in the room, landing on the plates of food. The emptiness in her stomach attacked again, mixing with the mental exhaustion from creating the Moon Spirit, causing waves of dizziness. She subconsciously walked toward the table, but after only a few steps, she stopped abruptly.
Can't eat. This is food prepared by the people who captured me. Absolutely cannot eat.
She turned and returned to the bedside, her steps somewhat unsteady. She climbed onto the bed, curled up in the corner against the wall, hugged her bent knees with her arms, and buried her face between them, motionless. Only her consciousness continued to attempt, over and over in vain, to control the power of her core, ramming against that deadly silent red and black fire.
Unknown amounts of time passed.
The sound of a handle turning came from the direction of the iron door. The door opened, and an old man wearing black robes walked in, closing the door behind him with a backhanded motion. The old man had golden hair and blue eyes, with a gentle face that even carried a touch of scholarly elegance.
Every muscle in Columbina's body tensed as she stared at him vigilantly. The old man pulled over the only chair in the room, placed it not far from the bed, and sat down, directly facing the curled-up Columbina.
"No need to be nervous," the old man began, his voice peaceful. "I am a scholar of the Khaenri'ah Kingdom's Institute of Deep Mysteries, Lessing. I will not harm you; I only wish to clarify some misunderstandings."
Columbina buried her face deeper, not wanting to look, nor wanting to listen. But the old man's words seemed to carry a peculiar power; every syllable was clear, as if whispered right against her ear. She couldn't block them out even if she wanted to.
"We actually have no irreconcilable conflict," Lessing continued. "We need your power, so we wish to seek your help. It's just that the child, Ikhtiyar, is truly insensible; to think she used deceptive methods and even hurt you and your friend." He sighed. "And to strike so heavily, at that."
Lessing stood up and bowed toward the bed with standard formality. "On her behalf, I apologize to you and your friend."
Columbina's body trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but lift her head to look at Lessing.
Lessing sat back down. "That friend of yours—we are already helping to repair her wounds. Do not worry; the Kingdom's technology is sufficiently advanced, even more advanced than the nation that created her."
"Our scholars examined your friend's mechanical body," he said, shifting the topic slightly. "The technology of that body is quite complete, but some functions are still lacking. For example, her energy core—its capacity is too small. It simply cannot store much energy."
He looked at Columbina. "Think about it. Traveling for so long, doesn't she always need you to provide her with energy? She can't leave your side for too long, can she?"
Columbina opened her mouth slightly in surprise but said nothing.
Lessing took an object from his robe sleeve. It was a translucent blue crystal, shaped like a regular octahedron, with light seeming to flow slowly inside it.
"We have replaced the core for her. This type of energy medium can store far more energy. This way, she won't have to rely on you constantly and can possess more time for free activity."
"Of course, it's not just the core." Lessing put the crystal away. "We can upgrade every component of her body, making her stronger, more agile, and even..." He paused. "...more intelligent. Rest assured, we have the ability to achieve this."
Columbina looked at him. The vigilance on her face hadn't completely dissipated, but it was now mixed with confusion. She didn't understand what exactly the other party wanted to do.
"You must definitely want to meet your friend right now," Lessing said.
Columbina's back straightened instantly.
Lessing revealed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, the repair and upgrade process has already begun. Once the modification is completely finished, you two will be able to meet immediately."
Having said this, he stood up, walked to the iron door, curled his fingers, and knocked on the door—two long, two short.
The door was immediately opened from the outside. Several people wearing gray uniforms carried in quite a few wooden crates, placed them on the floor, and opened the lids. They were packed full of Moonstones; a rough glance suggested the total number probably exceeded one hundred. Those people then removed the cold dishes from the table and replaced them with a batch of steaming hot new food. An enticing aroma quickly filled the sealed room.
Columbina watched all of this, somewhat dazed, the doubts in her heart deepening.
Lessing sat back in the chair. "These stones were scattered in the desert. We collected them specifically to save for you. Later, go ahead and absorb their energy." He pointed to the food on the table again. "And these—eat them while they are hot, too."
Columbina just watched, making no move.
"Relax," Lessing smiled. "We didn't poison it."
He stood up again, went to the table, picked up an empty plate with his left hand and a spoon with his right. He scooped a spoonful from every single dish, placed it into the plate, mixed it thoroughly, and then, right in front of Columbina, unhurriedly ate all the food in the plate.
He put down the empty plate and spoon, his smile unchanging. "Let us chat a while longer. If there is poison in the food, I will die right here in a moment."
____
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